Environmental Film Festival 2017

The Environmental Film Festival Australia (EFFA) commences on Thursday, 12 October, presenting a slew of groundbreaking, eye-opening and empowering films and documentaries, challenging us to think about our relationship with nature. The week-long festival shines the light on monumental issues that will affect future generations to come. Will bees become extinct? What will the world look like in 2050? Are we on the cusp of irreversible change?

Milk Bar Mag surveyed the sixteen films on offer and has narrowed down the top 4 films you need to watch – they may change your life!

Dead Donkey’s Fear No Hyenas 

Corruption, starvation, political ignorance, ethics – the gutsy doco investigates the issue of ‘land grabbing’ in Ethiopia, a practice where foreign investors illegally lease millions of hectares of farmland (approved by the local government) with the hope of stimulating the economy, but at the cost of displacing thousands of local people. Known as the ‘green gold phenomenon’, Dead Donkey’s Fear No Hyenas uncovers the perplexing paradox of enormous amounts of grain leaving the country despite much of the country depending on foreign food aid.

Food Coop

Director Tom Boothe dives into the belly of Park Slope Food Corp, one of New York’s cooperative food supermarkets located in the increasingly gentrified ‘burb of Brooklyn. Considered the best socialist experience in the United States, the work model is simple: each member must work 3 hours per month to earn the right to buy the best food at low prices. See how the unique marketplace has successfully kept its doors open for 44 years.

Honey, Rain and Dust

Aisha, Fatima and Ghareeb – three of the best-known honey specialists in the UAE – decipher the manmade and natural causes that have quietened the buzzing of a swarm of bees to a hum. A recurring thread throughout is the intrinsic link between bees, dubbed ‘the birds of heaven’, and religion, which makes the trio of honeybee trackers’ desperation all too real. Their tactics may differ, but their devotion to creating a safe environment for bees to produce honey is inspiring.

Sensory Environments

The sixty-seven-minute sensory experience challenges you to explore and understand space in a new way. Lost Winds is a kaleidoscopic botanicollage, while Proxima B is a French short film narrated by Ursula Le Guin and comments on new worlds inspired by landscapes of glaciers and lava fields. The way you view the natural world will never be the same.

EFFA ‘is a feast of Earth’s delights, its ruination and action by an alarmed minority of environmentally charged human beings,’ says patron Bob Brown. Don’t miss the chance to start making a positive and sustainable change.

Environmental Film Festival Australia 2017 
Various locations
Thursday, 12 to Thursday, 19 October 2017
effa.org.au